The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-08-14
SOME NEW Bo0Ka
Toistoi's Con fessier.

from tno hu8Slbn anu lhtoly puDlisuou IN tnlb
city-Mv Confession by Count LYor ILeoI N.
ton TO the same authors MY Religion" and
was in fact written before the last named work
1t unfolds the motives which impelled Tolstoi
to sock simpler, moro consistent, and moro
satisfying rule OF conduct than any which no
Jaw inculcated by the organized eystems OF
Christian exposition. and II traces the several
stages OF the process by which he was led to
dcduco for himself such a rule from the funda-
mental teachings Of Christ.
He begins with tho avowal tho. although he
WINS "christened and educated In tho fuith OF
the Orthodox Greek Church. nevertheless. at
eighteen years OF age, when he Quilted the
university he had discarded all belief in every
thing treligiousl that he had been taught"
How II came about Is thus explained: This
falling of, IS 1t seems to me, for tho most part
goes on as follows: people 1.-Two as others live.
and their lives are guided, not by the princi-
pies OF the faith which is taught them, but by
their very opposites; belief has no influence on
life nor on tho relations between men-it is
relcgated to some other sphere where
life is not; II the two ever come into
contact at all. belief is only one OF the
outward phenomena, and not one OF the
constituent parts OF life. By mans life, by
his acts. 1t was then. as 1t Is now. impossible to
know whether he was believer or not" VI
course. Tolstoi Is speaking Of men OF his own
class-laymen mon OF the world. who are ut
least true to themselves-and not OF those
who make OF religion a means OF obtaining
some temporal advantage. Such men Of our
own class" he says. are In the following po-
sition: Tho knowledge and experience OF ac-
tive life have shattered the artificially con-
structed ediflce OF belief within. and they have
tai aIz1u Al l.In u
perincumbent ruins. or they have remained
unconscious Of the destruction wrought"
The belief instilled in Tolstois childhood
having evaporated. what replaced 1t In his
early manhood The vague aim OF self-im-
provement which. at certain stage Of life. is
moro or less consciously accepted as guiding
principle by most graduates Of English and
American universities. when I think over
that time" says Tolstoi. II see clearly that all
the faith I had the only belief which. apart
from mere animal instinct. swayed my life.
was belief In a possibility Of perfection,
though what this was In itself or what would
be its results l was unable to say. Iendeavored
to reach perfection in intellectual attachments;
my studies were extended in every direction OF
which my life afforded me chance: strove
to strengthen my will, forming for myself rules
which forced myself to follow: did my best
to develop my physical powers by every exer-
else calculated to give strength and agility.
and by way OF accustoming myself to patient
endurance subjected myself to many volun-
tary hardships and privations. All this looked
upon as necessary to obtain the perfection at
which aimed. At FIRST OF course. moral per-
lection seemed to me the main end. but soon
found myself contemplating In It's stead an
Ideal OF general perfectibility; in other
words, wished to be better. not in
my own eyes, nor In those OF God
but q the sirht Of other men. This feeling.
again soon flowed into another-the desire to
have more power than others. to secure for
myself greater share OF fame, Of social dis
tinction and OF wealth." Is 1t possible to lay
bare with more unerring hand the successive
phases OF thought. feeling. and purpose through
which the typical young man of the well-to-do
and educated class in the nineteenth century
Is observed to pass? What reader. as he winces
Mt the light flashed over his own past. does not
recognize the presence OF one OF tho great
master probers OF the human heart?
No sooner had the youthful aspiration for an
ideal perfection become transmitted into
wish to stand we'll in the eyes of the men
around him than the judgment Of the society
in which Tolstoi moved furnished his standard
of right action. The deterioration OF his char
acter under the pressure OF environment Is
thus Indicated: L honestly desired to make
myself u good and virtuous man; but was
young. I had passions and l stood alone,
altogether alone, in my search after
virtue. Every time l tried to express
the longings OF my heart for truly virtuous
life. was met with contempt and derisive
laughter. but directly gave way to the lowest
Of my passions was praised and encouraged
I found ambition love OF power. love Of gain.
HIGH
esteem. I gave way to these passions. and
becoming like unite my elders, felt that
the place which I held in the world sat
isned those around me. My kind-hearted
aunt, really good woman, used to say
to me that there was one thing above
all others which she wished for mean in
trigue with a married woman; rien ne JorTns
I'm je,pae hon,n,s CONNIE liaison drec u',s
femme CONNIE u tam. I cannot" proceeds Toll
stoi. now recall those years without pain
full feeling Of horror and loathing. put men
to death in war. fought duels to slay others.
I lost at cards. wasted my substance wrunG
from the sweat of peasants. punished the lat
tor cruelty, rioted with loose women. and de-
ceived men. Lying, robbery. adultery Of all
kinds. drunkenness, violence, and murder
oil committed by me. not one crime omitted
and yet l was not tho less considered by my
equals q comparatively moral man. Such was
my life during ten years."
Such being his mode OF existence it was nec-
essary for q man who, like Tolstoi. was by vo-
cation and already by practice o thinker and
o writer. to substitute for tho religion which
he had discarded some conception OF man
kinds relation to the universe, some philosophy
OF life. His first impulse naturally was to
adopt theory which seemed to Justify his
dissipation. He found 1t current in the liter
ary but skeptical and dlssolute society around
him. Tho view OF human existence taken by
these my fellow writer's was that life Is do
veopment, and the principal part in that de-
yelopment is played by ourselves, the think
ers, while among the thinkers the chief infu-
once belongs to ourselves, tho poets. Our vo-
cation is to teach mankind" But to teach
you must learn; experience must be exhaust
Two. and comprehend the knowledge Of OWL as
we'll as good. This is tho accepted though
seldom formulated gospel of large proper
ton OF tho woll-bred and convontionally in
structed young men in all the capitals OF
western Europe as well rs in Moscow and St.